Getting ready to welcome friends and family into your home for the busy holiday season can be exciting and overwhelming. If you’re in charge of hosting a gathering and prepping a holiday meal, then the task is even more daunting if your home still feels like it’s not in order. While the approaching holidays might not be the best time to embark on any major home upgrades, there are a few smaller projects you can tackle (or complete) to get your home holiday-ready!

Spruce Up the Powder Room

The perfect excuse to finish the powder room or guest bathroom you started months ago. Adding some wallpaper, updating the light fixture, laying down budget-friendly flooring, and stocking up on accessories are the perfect projects to ensure this space is beautiful and functional for guests to admire.

Upgrade Your Kitchen Cabinetry Hardware

This simple home project dramatically increases the design of your kitchen (in a good way), no matter what style of hardware you choose. Cabinetry hardware isn’t an expensive project, this is a great budget-friendly task to enhance your kitchen without undergoing a major remodel before the hectic holiday season.

Add Shelving to the Guest Bedroom

Make your guest bedroom more like home for your company by adding a new shelving set. This simple, cost-effective project makes the space more functional by offering guests storage and providing the perfect place to decorate your guest bedroom for the holidays!

Secure the Stairs

Staircases offer an ideal setting for draping lights, bows, and garland. It’s also a good place to start to make sure your stairs are safe and clean. Polishing with a hardwood polish or steam cleaning the carpet adds sparkle to your home.

The front door is often the first impression your guest has as well as passing traffic sees. It’s a good idea to upgrade the front door or add a fresh coat of paint. Decorating with wreaths and holly is tradition, and all the better when the door and entrance area are freshened.

An article from the People’s Law Library of Maryland

Improving your home is a key part of home ownership. When using a contractor understanding the contract is key. This article provides tips for ensuring your home improvement project goes smoothly.

Selecting a Contractor

Home improvement is one of the areas in which consumers are often disappointed. One way to prevent problems is to take time with the contract and always hire a contractor who is licensed with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC). Even if it is a “small job,” there are a few steps that you should take to protect yourself. Many experts recommend interviewing at least three contractors before hiring a contractor for you home improvement project. This may not be practical for many low and moderate-income persons. But, if possible, try to get estimates from at least two contractors, even if only by telephone. Here are some tips that will help every homeowner.

Licensed Contractors

Always select a contractor that is licensed with the MHIC. Ask for the contractor’s MHIC license number and check to make sure their license is up-to-date. You can find out if a contractor is licensed at the Department of Labor’s website.  Even if you don’t know the contractor’s license number, you can search for that person by name. You can also call MHIC and ask if any complaints have been filed against the contractor and, if so, whether the complaints have been resolved.

If you have problems with the work the contractor does for you or if the contractor fails to complete the work, so long as the contractor is licensed, you can file a complaint against a contractor or salesperson with the MHIC. After MHIC completes its investigation of your complaint, you may be eligible to file a claim with the MHIC Guaranty Fund to try to receive compensation for your loss. If you hire an unlicensed contractor or a contractor with an expired license, you cannot file a MHIC Guaranty Fund claim.

• See: How to File A Complaint FAQs
• See: Guaranty Fund FAQs

Home Improvement Contracts

Contracts are mutual promises between two parties. You, the homeowner, will be asked to pledge to pay for services and materials required for the job. A written contract will spell out how the work should be done, the materials to be used, and the payments. No matter what the size of the contract, always put it in writing. A written contract will help you to enforce the agreement if anything goes wrong. Even if the contractor is someone you know, this is a business relationship and you should treat it that way. If you don’t understand a term or provision, ask for an explanation before you sign.

MHIC has specific requirement that must be included in every home improvement contact:

Contractor’s Name, Address, and MHIC Number

A home improvement contract must contain the name, address, and MHIC license number of the contractor. If a salesperson sold or solicited the job, the contract must also contain the name and license number for each salesperson involved.

Notice for Homeowners

Each home improvement contract must contain a notice that gives the telephone number and website of the MHIC and states, “each contractor must hold a current MHIC license, and anyone can ask MHIC about a contractor.” The address for MHIC is 1100 N. Eutaw St., Room 121, Baltimore, Maryland 21201. The telephone numbers are 410-230-6231 and 1-888-218-5925. MHIC’s website.

MHIC regulations require that every home improvement contract contain the following notice:

1.    The Maryland Home Improvement Commission administers the Guaranty Fund, which may compensate homeowners for certain actual losses caused by acts or omissions of licensed contractors; and

2.    A homeowner has the right to purchase a performance bond for additional protection against losses not covered by the Guaranty Fund.

Dates and Description

No one wants to deal with nuisances like bottlenecks or awkward, tight spaces in their most common gathering places. Or maybe you moved into a home you love but have outgrown over the years, and could really use another bedroom. Luckily, these problems can be solved by house additions.

Additional Bedroom

Adding a new room is a great way to customize your home to your exact needs. If you’re in need of an additional bedroom, you’ve probably got a few options to consider in order to score some extra space in your existing home. Keep in mind that adding a room to a house requires not only a building permit, but also permission from your homeowner’s association if your home is governed by one.

Taking on home additions can be an overwhelming thought process to most homeowners. But this is where we pull together all the pieces and simplify the process. The experience of our award winning design-build home addition contractors excels at balancing the cost and practicality of each unique build.

Bump Out

If you’re not excited about shelling out tens of thousands of dollars for a substantial addition to your home, you’re certainly not alone. The cost of adding onto a house can be prohibitive. But if it’s just a small amount of extra space you’re looking for, consider a bump out.

Sometimes called a micro addition, a bump out is typically between two and 15 feet. Any more than that, and you’ll have to pay extra to include support beams and concrete footings, making your bump out more like a conventional house addition.

If such a small addition doesn’t seem worth it at first, consider that 2 or 3 square feet is enough to accommodate a dining room table or add a center island to a cramped kitchen.

Sunroom – Four Season Room

Enjoy the sunrise and sunset from the comfort of your home when you add a sunroom. These bright, open spaces are typically appended to the back or side of a house and are not temperature controlled by the home’s existing HVAC system. That helps a sunroom be one of the more affordable house additions. Of course, a sunroom can be made into a four-season room by adding heating and cooling.

Get ideas for warm neutral color schemes and other stylish elements from these new kitchen photos.

Warm neutral color palettes are having a moment. And you’ll see plenty of welcoming examples in this countdown of new kitchen photos. You’ll also find elegant details that form a “quiet luxury” style, as well as design ideas for creating contrast, incorporating wood elements and devising practical layouts.

By: Suzanne Ennis

10. Open and Organic

This Washington, D.C.-area kitchen by Case Architects & Remodelers exemplifies the handmade features and neutral palette popular in kitchens right now. Hand-cut zellige-style backsplash tiles coordinate with marble-look Corian countertops and soft greige Overcast paint on the Hampstead door fronts from Crystal Cabinets. Red oak shelves in a Sand Dune finish, woven seating, reddish wood floors and golden pendant lights add contrast and coziness.

9. A Little Bit French Country

In this renovated Portland, Oregon, kitchen, Kraft Custom Construction balanced the dark wood floor and medium-toned wood perimeter cabinets and beams with a white island, light stone countertops and a white subway tile backsplash. The improved flow and ample storage and counter space satisfied the homeowners’ need for a highly functional room. Traditional details give the space a sense of quiet luxury, while the rustic beams and curved range hood help achieve the homeowners’ desire for French Country flair.

8. Zesty Zellige

A handmade zellige tile backsplash in a multicolor geometric pattern behind the cooktop is the star of this Huntington Beach, California, kitchen, while the two-tone Italian custom laminate cabinets play supporting roles. Joseph Rodrigues Interiors complemented them with neutral zeillige wall tile, light engineered quartz countertops and luxury vinyl plank flooring to create a light and warm kitchen with clean, contemporary lines and plenty of pizzazz.

7. Two-Tone Traditional

Kalaa Chakra Interiors contrasted a richly grained wood island base with creamy painted perimeter cabinets in this Atlanta-area kitchen, then installed a soft green tile backsplash that echoes the verdant view through the windows. The large scale of the lantern-style brass pendant light subtly updates the traditional design.

6. Twin Fridges

The softness of marble-look quartz countertops and pale green (Sea Salt by Sherwin-Williams) and warm white oak cabinets contrasts with bold black ceiling trim and door trim in this Kansas kitchen. Other standout features incorporated by Tamara Day Design (who used Houzz Pro business software to manage the project) include matching refrigerators flanking the cooking zone and a white oak bar countertop with waterfall ends.

5. Angles and Curves

When remodeling this Missouri kitchen, Marcia Moore Design preserved the stone island countertop in a distinctive wedge shape but replaced the base with black and walnut grain cabinets to give the space a subtle European vibe. Black-and-brown quartz perimeter countertops and geometric backsplash tile in four different honed marbles pick up the island’s varied tones.

4. Warm and Milky

In this Minnesota kitchen by Ksusha Olson of Titus Contracting, inset kitchen cabinetry painted in Benjamin Moore’s Pale Oak greige creates a warm neutral backdrop for the Calacatta Laza quartz countertops, which are milky white with soft brown veining. A contrasting dark-stained white oak island base and coordinating woven counter chairs ground the light and airy space.

3. Earthy and Eclectic

The colors in this Aspen, Colorado, kitchen designed by Miranda Cullen of Inside Stories may be warm neutral, but the style is anything but bland. Varied textures and tones — such as the custom cabinets’ dual white oak finishes and the quartz countertops’ sweeping veins — add depth and character. Meanwhile, the lineup of Folk Abigail pendant lights from Rejuvenation and the range backsplash and hood tiles (Ann Sacks Gem by Kelly Wearstler in Azure) say “look at me!” without being flashy.

2. Textured Touches

This Studio M Interiors-designed kitchen in Minneapolis combines soft gray-blue perimeter cabinetry with a contrasting light wood island base. Repeating the wood in vertical panels on the range hood and as trim in the arched doorway helps tie the look together in an unexpected way. Creamy white countertops, domed white pendant lights, white-painted walls and a textured white subway tile also work together to create the room’s cohesive feel.

1. Refined Palette

White, wood and black work handsomely in this transitional-style Dallas-area kitchen by Spruill Custom Homes. The glass fronts of the uppermost cabinets emphasize the tall ceilings and offer display space, and bold black cabinet hardware and conical lights from Rejuvenation punctuate the otherwise pale palette.

Check out this guide to Hardwood Flooring. Below you will see an article featured on HGTV.

Wall-to-Wall Floor Coverings offers professional flooring options including hardwood installation, refinishing, luxury vinyl, carpet, and tile. In tandem with Greg’s long-time associate Lou Valentine, our flooring team has a proven track record of being committed to the same excellence you expect from Wall-to-Wall. This team has more than a quarter-century of flooring installation and design experience, and our services will continue to expand as new and sustainable options evolve.

To complement our dedication to quality, we also offer the best flooring options around.

Your Guide to the Different Types of Hardwood Flooring

The enduring good looks of hardwood flooring come in many types and styles to fit different needs and budgets.

If you’re thinking of putting in hardwood floors, you can’t go wrong. All types of hardwood floors have unmatched natural beauty and go with any decor — modern, traditional, country, you name it. Hardwood flooring goes in any room, although kitchens and basements warrant special considerations.

Unfinished or Finished?

Unfinished hardwood flooring is a good option if you want a custom stain applied before the final finish, or if you want to match the color of existing flooring. After hardwood flooring installation and staining, the flooring is given several coats of protective finish. If you’re thinking of adding hardwood flooring in your kitchen, unfinished flooring is a good choice because the finish will penetrate and seal the seams between boards, helping to prevent water from seeping between boards.

Prefinished hardwood flooring comes from the factory already sanded and sealed, meaning the whole installation job goes quickly. There are no odors and VOCs from finishing on-site, and the floor is ready to walk on immediately.

Solid or Engineered?

Solid hardwood flooring is all wood and is usually 5/8″ to 3/4″ thick. Because it’s solid wood, it can be sanded and refinished many times. However, it’s susceptible to changes in humidity, and isn’t recommended for below-grade basements.

Engineered hardwood flooring is a veneer of real wood glued to several layers of wood underneath, like plywood. This gives engineered wood excellent stability over time and makes it a good choice for any area of your home, including below-grade basements. Depending on the thickness of the hardwood veneer, engineered hardwood flooring can only be sanded and refinished once or twice during its lifetime.

What Species Is Best?

The best hardwood floors are made with wood species that are readily available and — you guessed it — very hard. Oak flooring, maple flooring and cherry flooring are all good choices. Other species include bamboo (which is actually a grass), walnut, ash and mahogany. You’ll pay a premium price for more exotic species, such as teak, jarrah and mesquite. Check to make sure the hardwood flooring you choose comes from sustainably harvested forests.

Another option is reclaimed hardwood flooring, which you can find at salvage yards. It likely has some signs of wear and age, but you’ll pay about half what it would cost for comparable new flooring. If they don’t have what you’re looking for (and you have the time), ask to be put on a waiting list. Salvage flooring is an especially good choice if you’re renovating an older house.

Go Beyond Oak

Although oak still accounts for about two-thirds of all installed hardwood flooring in America, it’s losing ground to its exotic cousins. A wide range of hardwood from other countries, especially Brazil, Australia and parts of Asia, is gaining a foothold and nailing down homeowners’ interests.

“There has been a trend for several years for exotic hardwoods to grow,” says Anita Howard of the National Wood Flooring Association in Chesterfield, Mo. The number-one reason: price. “They’re more reasonable than they used to be,” she says. They’re also more available, as interest grows and lower pricing makes them more attractive.

Consumers also are intrigued by the possibilities that avoid the need to alter their wood choices drastically with stains. “These species offer a broader range of colors, so you can use the natural species rather than staining oak to a particular color,” Howard says. “More people today want to forgo stain and try a different wood type with a natural stain instead.” Some of the most popular woods right now are:

• Brazilian Cherry The seasoned wood has a russet or reddish-brown color, with a medium to somewhat coarse grain. It’s slightly more stable than red oak, but it requires a longer than normal acclimation period. It also is more difficult to saw due to its high density.
• Cork It comes in a spectrum of shades from light to dark and has a familiar grain that’s unlike other woods (it’s actually the bark of a type of oak tree). It’s become popular for a lot of reasons, because of its durability, sustainability and its cushioning effect underfoot. “We get a lot of calls about cork flooring. It’s very hot right now.” Read more about the benefits of cork floors.
• Bamboo Technically, bamboo is a grass, but it is considered a wood due to its hardness. Bamboo has become popular with “green” building proponents due to its rapid regrowth, which makes it highly sustainable. “You can cut it and have a fully mature tree in four years,” Howard explains. It comes in manila/yellow tones as well as dark shades. The grain pattern shows nodes from the bamboo stalks, she says. Read more about the benefits of bamboo floors.
• Wenge This nearly black wood, which comes from Africa, is difficult to obtain but has become popular as an accent wood. It can be hard to cut and requires carbide tools.
• Bubinga Burgundy in color, this African wood has a fine grain and saws easily. But it splits easily when nailed with machine tools, so hand-hammering works best.
• Sydney Blue Gum Over time, this wood’s color mutes from a spectrum of pink to burgundy red to become a medium brown-red. Its hardness requires carbide blades to cut.

As these differences show, exotic woods will react differently to cutting and installation techniques, as well as to the environment, Howard stresses. “It requires a professional who is familiar with the local area and its humidity and weather conditions, as well as with the wood, to install it properly. Requirements are different in different areas.”